For the first time in four years, Samson Dauda is not competing at the annual Arnold Classic. In a recent Q&A segment via Instagram on Jan. 14, 2026, he explained why he’s sitting out of the prestigious contest. Additionally, he announced a new sponsor deal and broke down how he cuts weight for bodybuilding shows.
Samson Dauda entered the 2025 Mr. Olympia as the reigning champion, but his pursuit of better conditioning backfired. He appeared downsized onstage. Moreover, he lacked the back and leg width needed to hold his own against top contenders. He ended up placing fourth behind Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea, Hadi Choopan, and Derek Lunsford.
With time to rebuild his physique, Dauda is leveraging his off-season to maximize progress. Though he’s not competing in under seven weeks, “The Nigerian Lion” is still making moves. He recently inked a contract with Myprotein as he sets his sights on regaining the Olympia title.
Samson Dauda Announces New Sponsor, Reveals Why He’s Sitting Out of the 2026 Arnold Classic
After a multi-year run with Fouad Abiad’s Hosstile brand, Dauda announced he’s now a Myprotein athlete.
“Proud to officially announce my partnership with the world’s largest supplement brand @myprotein,” Samson Dauda wrote.
He admits that his body needed a rest, which is why he’s skipping the Arnold Classic this year:
“Because I’ve been doing the Arnold for the last four years non-stop. That is one of the reasons that I’m constantly on prep all year. This year, we wanted to give myself a rest and take a break.”
Dauda also explained how he cuts weight for contests. He believes eating clean and training intensity are the biggest drivers of results.
“First and foremost, the kind of food you eat, if you’re eating proper meals, even though it’s a lot, you can still put on and recover a lot of good sources from it. You’re not eating fat. You’re not eating shit. You’re eating proper food that your body can use to digest, and it doesn’t cause you to bloat out or cause you to own a lot of body fat.”
“Making sure your diet is on par like that, whilst putting that much food in, is a big one on how your body changes and reacts to it. Secondly, we train intensely. The intensity of my training and schedule hasn’t changed at all. That intensity is so heavy on me when I train that it causes my body to burn through body fat while I’m training,” he shared.
Shahriar Kamali, better known as King Kamali, believes Dauda needs a new coach if he wants to reclaim the Olympia title. He recently suggested that he team up with former six-time Olympia winner Dorian Yates. With six months of training under ‘The Shadow,’ Kamali believes Dauda could present a physique ‘the world has never seen.’
Dauda will finally take a much-needed rest period following years of activity. He has yet to reveal if he’ll compete before the 2026 Mr. Olympia, slated for Sept. 24-27 in Las Vegas, NV.
RELATED: Derek Lunsford Says If All Are ‘100%,’ He and Hadi Choopan Edge Out Andrew Jacked and Samson Dauda
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